New products
We greet the 2012 season with a good number of new or revised products most of which are described in some detail below. And this is an opportunity to re-cap on some of the other SAILSetc developments over the last 12 months or so. We had already started to produce some parts for the RG65 class in 2010 but taking the decision to produce a boat in the class meant a lot of design work associated with the hull followed by the design and development of the necessary fittings. This is now complete and the boat, named ARGON, has already shown its paces and returned some excellent results. ARGON, like all the other SAILSetc boats in classes where materials are open is made of pre-preg carbon and is an excellent choice for anyone seriously interested in performing well in this class. The fittings and some of the structural parts will have applications in other small classes and we have a section of this website dedicated to items suitable for ‘Micro’ yachts. The IOM world championship seems to have put a question mark against the performance of previously successful designs and no doubt time will tell if there is a real performance gain to be had by moving to narrower hull forms. In other events PIKANTO has provided strong performances and it remains an excellent design choice demonstrated again recently by taking the 2012 Australian and state championships against a couple of well prepared narrower designs. Going back to the drawing board and checking out narrower hull forms confirms that the VPP does not rate them as well as boats of more moderate proportions. This has led in turn to a closer look at the way the VPP handles the added drag of a hull passing through surface waves, a possible explanation of why less stable but narrow hull forms seem to out-perform more stable but wider designs. While everything seems in order it is hard to see what might , or should, be done next. After much checking and re-checking we have committed to building a new design of somewhat narrower beam than PIKANTO and the first boat has shown excellent performance in all rigs with some small adjustments still to be made (early March). The hull form of this design, named FRAKTAL, represents a departure from the previous line of development through IKON/ITALIKO/TOPIKO/PIKANTO. We anticipate prices will be close to those for PIKANTO and anyone wanting to get on the waiting list for the new boat can do so by making the usual £50 deposit. We have already been using a new fin in our production IOMs for a short time. New moulds were made that have a slightly revised section from David Hollom and which allow the skins to be made using pre-preg carbon. For the same weight the new fins are some 15% stiffer in bend and about 50% stiffer in torsion. This is more impressive than it sounds as tests on competitor fins show they generally have only half the stiffness of our previous ones. Early tests show there is a performance improvement over the previous fin although gains in this department are now more modest than earlier. We see the main advantage in consistency of shape (the trailing edge is no longer shaped manually) and longevity as the skins will be more heat resistant than hand laminated fins. Work on the design of ballast shapes in 2011 led to a ballast on Graham’s SWORD that had about twice the width at the trailing edge of the standard ballast form. Calculations suggested the reduced drag from the wing effect would be useful in stronger conditions to windward but perhaps with a drag penalty in light airs. The first race was in very light airs and any added drag did not seem to be a real problem. In the other events (generally windy) it certainly went well to windward. The ballast design, and some variations, are currently the subject of some wind tunnel and tank testing which we hope will shed some light on what has been achieved. The last year has brought SAILSetc some interesting projects to work on. One was for a rig for an autonomous yacht that would be used to make an Atlantic crossing. The rig was a little larger than a Marblehead C rig but built to withstand the larger loads likely to be experienced in much stronger winds and on a much more stable hull form. Another was for an autonomous yacht that will be used in more normal conditions found in the annual competition for these craft held in the USA. In both cases the basic design of the rig has been much the same as that employed on our Marbleheads and 10 Raters and even the diminutive RG65 and we have simply fabricated larger versions of the same fittings. Another project involved the design and replacement of a fin and ballast for a vintage 10 Rater once owned by Norman Hatfield before WW2. This really made us appreciate the ease with which we can make a fin and bulb for a modern yacht and assemble them as required. Anyone who thinks model yachts have got more complicated and costly really should try doing it the old fashioned way! Another project that is beginning to come to fruition is a vintage style yacht that complies with the historical 36 inch Restricted Class. The design is reminiscent of of a 1930’s fin and skeg 36R Class without being a re-creation of any one of them. There will be an emphasis on the overall appearance while using modern materials and fittings to produce a model yacht of classic looks that performs well under radio control or free sailing. Construction will be by traditional hand lamination using carbon, glass and epoxy. We envisage rc control and carbon spars but there is no reason why Braine gear and timber spars could not be fitted. In late 2010 we were blessed with the addition to the SAILSetc team of Agustin Moreno. Agustin has been involved in all of the projects described above and now oversees the production and quality control of all boatbuilding related work at SAILSetc. He comes very well qualified for this task with previous experience in hi-tech big boat building, design engineering in general, and some time spent making RG65s in pre-preg carbon in his own home built oven. His expertise and interests are leading us in interesting directions and we are considering an extension to the workshops here to gives us some more work space. Lorna is assisted by David Marshall in coping with the day to day administrative side of the business. Thanks go to Philip Vinton, Katherine dos Fernandes, Paul Everett, Emma Frankish for their continued help with production work. Frustration at not being able to stock good quality blocks at a price not affected by adverse exchange rates made us look at the production of some SAILSetc miniature blocks. Again Agustin’s skills came in handy to produce the CAD models of the blocks that we were able to check out on screen before committing to the real items. The production version has lived up to the promise of very low friction and versatility indicated by the prototype and we are now using them for all applications on SAILSetc rigs and boats. The free sailing A Class designed some time ago for Anthony Warren has started to produce the strong performance it promised and this has led to a re-awakened interest in spinnaker design. Some samples of spinnakers designed using a professional purpose built CAD program have been tested and it is hoped to be able to make variations of these to order or supply as kits of cut panels ready to assemble. The transition to not having a paper catalogue has gone reasonably smoothly from our point of view but we appreciate that not all people find a website as user friendly. We will continue to work on the website to keep it easy to use and to improve it where possible. Since its inception some ten years ago (thanks to Lester Gilbert and Jan Dejmo) technology has moved on and it is possible to display more information quicker than imagined then. Nevertheless we plan to keep the format of line drawings rather than photos to illustrate products as that will always give more information per unit of computing power and we can do things with drawings that photos do not permit. We still have a small stock of catalogues from earlier years that will provide useful service for people who need one to hand. If you would like to receive one of these please ask. There’s no charge. And hold on to your old catalogues! New since 2011
Over the last few years Lorna and Graham have discussed the sale of SAILSetc at length but no satisfactory resolution was found with the other parties involved. We have now ceased those discussions and we will look for other ways to develop the business in the longer term so that it may continue to provide the products and services for which SAILSetc has become renowned over the last 33 years. There is no on-line shopping facility on this website. The reason we have not chosen to go down that route so far is that we are aware that it is too easy for people to order inappropriately matched parts. Often we can spot that and suggest more appropriate combinations. Often the customer needs to check other aspects of an item’s specification before ordering and so a shopping basket would not totally solve the problem. At some stage we will move to a shopping basket facility. In the meantime contacting us with a list of parts is the straightforward way to order goods. Make life easier for yourself and us by:
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You may also be able to buy our products locally. It may save you postage and exchange charges. There is a list of trade stockists of our goods in the ‘Shop’ section. A list of people building our designs is given under the Boats section.
The following is a listing of newly introduced SAILSetc products and items that have been amended in some significant way.
Fairlead, 3 mm ID, 52-003 - £1.70 For small sheets to exit a small hull. Made of Acetal to fit a 3 mm ID hole. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Block with 8 mm diameter sheave – 61-008 – £12.50 SAILSetc design and manufacture. A beautifully simple design of block - simply designed better - that allows real versatility in use. The sheave is a stainless steel ball race and the block has the lowest friction of all the similar items we have tested. This is the smaller of two otherwise identical items but has enough strength for radio yachts up to Ten Rater size. Suitable for Dyneema line from 10 kg up to 75 kg breaking strain. It can be dismantled and maintained with no danger to the bearing. This block can be used in two principal ways. One way is by suspending it on a line of Dyneema or Dacron. The other way is to fix it to a surface using bolts or screws. Each block is supplied with fasteners. Block with 10 mm diameter sheave – 61-010 - £12.00 SAILSetc design and manufacture. A beautifully simple design of block - simply designed better - that allows real versatility in use. The sheave is a stainless steel ball race and the block has the lowest friction of all the similar items we have tested. This is the larger of two otherwise identical items and can be used for radio yachts from IOM to A Class (and even larger) size. Suitable for Dyneema line from 30 kg up to 110 kg breaking strain. It can be dismantled and maintained with no danger to the bearing. This block can be used in two principal ways. One way is by suspending it on a line of Dyneema or Dacron. The other way is to fix it to a surface using bolts or screws. Each block is supplied with fasteners. Double block with becket and 8 mm diameter sheaves – 61-208 – £28.00 SAILSetc design and manufacture. A beautifully simple design of block - simply designed better - that allows real versatility in use. The sheave is a stainless steel ball race and the block has the lowest friction of all the similar items we have tested. This is the smaller of two otherwise identical items but has enough strength for radio yachts up to Ten Rater size. Suitable for Dyneema line from 10 kg up to 75 kg breaking strain. It can be dismantled and maintained with no danger to the bearings. Double block with becket and 10 mm diameter sheaves – 61-210 – £27.00 SAILSetc design and manufacture. A beautifully simple design of block - simply designed better - that allows real versatility in use. The sheave is a stainless steel ball race and the block has the lowest friction of all the similar items we have tested. This is the smaller of two otherwise identical items but has enough strength for radio yachts up to Ten Rater size. Suitable for Dyneema line from 30 kg up to 110 kg breaking strain. It can be dismantled and maintained with no danger to the bearings. Sail servo arm, stainless steel, 67e - £4.50 For use with a high torque servo to provide sheet control for RG65 or similar size yachts. The length is 48 mm from the axis to the extreme end and will give 180 mm maximum sheet travel for 180 degree servo travel when the sheet is passed through the outer hole. The fixing holes will suit Hitec metal output arms and many others too. Additional holes will give 160 mm and 140 mm travel. Tiller arm, stainless steel, 68-025 - £10.50 Intended for use on the SAILSetc rudder, item 360rg, with a 2.5 mm hole for the stock. Stainless steel and ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Gooseneck/compression strut, 12mm - £43.50 The body of this gooseneck is injection moulded and houses 8 mm ID bearings to fit a 8 mm diameter mast. Designed to rotate concentrically around the mast and fit a 4 mm internal diameter boom spar. This item is ideal for use on MicroMagic class and other small yachts. Gooseneck/compression strut, 12rg - £43.50 The body of this gooseneck is injection moulded and houses 8 mm ID bearings to fit a 8 mm diameter mast. Designed to rotate concentrically around the mast and fit a 4 mm internal diameter boom spar. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Spreader fitting – 20S-120 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add spreaders bars of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 12 mm OD. The connectors for the spreader bars are in line with each other. Nickel plated brass. Spreader fitting – 20S-130 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add spreaders bars of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 13 mm OD. The connectors for the spreader bars are in line with each other. Nickel plated brass. Spreader fitting – 20S-140 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add spreaders bars of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 14 mm OD. The connectors for the spreader bars are in line with each other. Nickel plated brass. Jumper strut fitting – 20J-120 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add jumper struts of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 12 mm OD. The connectors for the jumper struts are at 120 degrees spacing. Nickel plated brass. Jumper strut fitting – 20J-130 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add jumper struts of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 13 mm OD. The connectors for the jumper struts are at 120 degrees spacing. Nickel plated brass. Jumper strut fitting – 20J-140 - £6.00 A fitting that allows the user to add jumper struts of 3 mm diameter material to a mast of 14 mm OD. The connectors for the jumper struts are at 120 degrees spacing. Nickel plated brass. Backstay crane, carbon/epoxy, 22-rg - £5.50 The crane arm is made of epoxy/carbon and is mounted on a 3 mm stainless steel shaft. Suitable for use on its own or with the mast head fitting 23-003. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Head fitting with ball races, 23-003 - £11.75 The head fitting arm is made of epoxy/carbon and rotates on a pair of ball races on a 3 mm stainless steel shaft. Suitable for use with the mast head fitting 22-rg. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Compression strut – 26-190 - £10.50 A compression strut with a length between attachment screws in the range 160 to 190 mm. With M4 left hand and right hand fork ends. Also capable of working in tension so this item is suitable for use as a kicking strap. Mast band with flange, carbon/epoxy , 55-006 - £5.00 A mast band to fit 4 mm diameter carbon tube, is drilled 2 mm diameter and is intended to be used to spread the forestay attachment away from the mast a little when used with a pocket luff mainsail to stop the forestay and topping lift from fouling on the luff pocket. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Swing rig bearings, PTFE , 139-080 - £4.60 A pair of PTFE bearings to fit 8 mm diameter mast and a 10 mm ID tube. This item is ideal for use on RG65 class and other small yachts. Boom bands, with eye, set of 5 - 48-RG - £1.25
These miniature boom bands are supplied in a set of 5 - one each for 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5 and 6 mm diameter booms. They are moulded in glass filled plastic and can be used for almost all applications requiring a band on a boom or mast. Boom end fitting, set of 2 parts – 103-120 - £3.50 Stainless steel boom end suitable for use with either 12 mm OD x 10 mm ID carbon tube or the SAILSetc lightweight alloy boom tube as supplied for use as the No 1 headsail boom. This item is now used on the SAILSetc goosenecks items 11b, 11d, 12 and 13. Headsail boom swivel, adjustable - 120-050 - £11.00
This is a miniature version of the swivels we have used for many years in the larger classes but sized specifically for the RG65 and other small classes. The body is stainless steel and is a friction fit onto 5.0 and 4.8 mm diameter booms. The ball race provides low friction rotation and the wire supplied with the fitting may be bent to suit the application. Headsail boom swivel, adjustable - 120-060 - £11.00
This is a miniature version of the swivels we have used for many years in the larger classes but sized specifically for the RG65 and other small classes. The body is stainless steel and is a friction fit onto 6.0 mm diameter booms. The ball race provides low friction rotation and the wire supplied with the fitting may be bent to suit the application. Stern recess moulding – 311A - £18.00
This part is used on the SAILSetc RG65 design ARGON where it forms the transom and creates a recess at the stern where the sheets and servo/tiller connector exit the hull and the top of the rudder trunking is located. Moulded in carbon/epoxy. Weight 6 grams before trimming. Mast recess moulding – 311RG - £35.50
This part is used on the SAILSetc RG65 design ARGON where it forms the recess at the mast to enable the rig to be lowered into the hull. It is made with a recess for the fin bolt. Moulded in carbon/epoxy. Weight 7 grams before trimming.
Rudder, with stock - 360RG - £63.25
A rudder sized 170 x 50 mm for the RG65 class. It has a 2.5 mm diameter stainless steel stock and is finished to section allowing it to be used with a minimum of fitting to the hull. The section is one suitable for the low Reynolds numbers experienced on these boats.
Ballast casting – 200-007 - £43.75
To suit RG65, with slot, cast in precision mould, cast state.
Tapered batten set – BS-RG65 - £2.50 Set of tapered self adhesive battens, 1 each of 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 35 and 30 mm long. These are made of 0.2 mm glass/epoxy sheet with a self adhesive backing and need to be separated from each other before use. Mylar film – SF-035 - £8.00
Opaque white Mylar film, 35 microns thick and suitable for RG65, Footy and other small classes. 10 metres long x 320 mm wide.
Stencil for RG65 class insignia, STEN-INS - £1.50 Sails as light as those used on the RG65 class need to have the insignia, numbers and letters inked on to keep the sails supple. This stencil should be used with an alcohol based pen. Stencil for RG65 class numbers, STEN-NUM - £1.50
Sails as light as those used on the RG65 class need to have the insignia, numbers and letters inked on to keep the sails supple. This stencil should be used with an alcohol based pen. Stencil for RG65 class national letters, STEN-LET - £1.50 Sails as light as those used on the RG65 class need to have the insignia, numbers and letters inked on to keep the sails supple. This stencil should be used with an alcohol based pen.
All prices are in GBP and include VAT at 20%. |
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